Lutens and Me

First Impression sure makes a lasting impression.. And so did lutens for me with Cedre. it has come to a point now where I’m very much bonded with the luten's world of fragrances. just a brief collection on my thoughts on each one I own at this point...

Cedre: It's so intense. Tuberose with deep and sweet oriental vibes. given 1 hour, one can feel the sheer accord of cedar piercing out of a crystallized accord of tuberose and balsamic notes. It’s heavy duty floral and woody scent at the same time. However, it relaxes to a wonderful accord of Cedre towards base.

Musc Kublai Khan: i was prepared to be put off after reading all the scary reviews.. but then, i was pleasantly surprised to find the most delicately composed oriental fragrance ever. just the right amount of everything with no single accord gaining prominence. i get animalic accords mixed with powdery, spicy accords. like a clean Tiger getting a makeup in circus..sounds ridiculous.... in way, it's an sweeter extension of L'Artisan Parfumers Dzing! and i find it much more wearable as well. MKK lingers on me throughout the day. it keeps me enchanted with it's magnificent whiffs..gives me a kind of self assurance. and no..it doesn’t smell like crotch..arm pit. nope.

Borneo 1834: Whoa! massive "lutens size" dose of patchouli with a supporting accord of chocolate. thats ll it is to it...but then... WHOA! the texture is not deep brown.. it's tilting more towards black. it's that intense and the sillage thereafter is just so comforting. there are time when i dab this one while at home. Feels very relaxing. Just one dab on each wrist.

Santal de Mysore: this one was/is my first bell jar form this line.. and what a pleasure to own this juice in a 75ml container! i would never go out of this juice! all the references to curry is so true. it's spice equivalent is the only other masterpiece in this genre and that's Eau Lente by Diptyque. No comparison in terms of smell but the sheer intensity. Santal de Mysore take finest spices like dry cumin seed, star anise crushed into intense balsamic accords. it has one of the most realistic accords at that. the opening is very warm and powdery but, let it settle and it reveals one of the finest accord of sandalwood. the only other sandalwood based fragrance which comes relatively close is Tam Dao...but even that pales in comparison. this is "the" go to sandalwood fragrance. However, i can imagine a few finding the heavy duty spicy face it puts across in opening accords.

Sa Majeste la rose: all of esteemed reviewers are bang on when they mention the word "dew", so true. i agree with one reviewer on the comparison with tea rose. but only 5%. Tea rose is just plain brash, loud and un-wearable. this is much more realistic and a sweeter version with a very classy sillage which is never intense. although this come across as a transparent scent, it’s cleverly crafted to keep the sillage complex and mesmerizing. it’s beauty is in its simplicity of accord and purity of presentation. a must have for those plush dinners in exclusive restaurants.

Chergui: Chergui is a clever fragrance. it smells of hay, green tobacco leaves, leather, vapors of honey and powdery Iris. It’s one of Lutens best releases. It’s sillage exudes light green texture throughout with a milky, vapor like vibe over opulent, aged leather. It’s very hard to understand the purpose of this fragrance at first sniff.. it smells so unlike anything i have sniffed..

Amber Sultan: i guess, after MKK, Amber sultan is one of Lutens most famous releases. Sure, it has a very spicy opening.. so intense.. i almost smell blood in it. very sharp opening. the key accord in opening is tarragon. Mélange of bright spices subside to reveal a rather simple yet beautiful accord of Amber..an amber dry and dusty in nature with a soft, mellow, orange accord. it's also one of those scents which suits shines in summers. quite a relief actually..

Gris Clair: right from the first time I sampled it and up till now... I cannot shake of that lava association. a very gloomy, smoky fragrance with a heavy dose of lavender. a dress scent and by no mean a casual wear. one of my all time favorites.

Serge Noire: Plain sexy. crisp sweetness with a delicate accord of camphor and incense. has a gothic vibe to it and smells surreal all the way. between this sweet accord lies juicy green accord.. the combination is truly mesmerizing. I can imagine wearing it to a Type O Negative concert..

Arabie: smells like dried dry fruits, bitter orangel peel, heavy duty spices like cumin and clove.. smells dry and juicy at a time..goes on to create a really austere accord which brings toger fruits and spices. the balance is intoxicating and smells wonderful thruout the day. love it one vacations or long drive..

Five o'Clock Au Gingembre: Peppery dark ginger with a lovely twist of chocolate. it's a fantastic gourmand which is refreshing and at the same time, very classy. i was disillusioned by this really off sample and had all the wrong opinions about it.. but a recently acquired bottle changed all that.

All the 11 scents by lutens have made a certain and positive impact in my contnuing pursuit

of testing fragrances. lutens is here to stay in my wardrobe and i still have so many more to test.. Iris Silver Mist, el Attairne..et al.

Do you have any favorites from this line...has this line made a last impression on you...?

Re: Lutens and Me

Jenson, glad to hear you express your love for Serge Lutens as a house. Lutens did make an impression on me too, sadly, it wasn't as positive.

My first SL sample was Ambre Sultan and it immediately struck me as smelling like Play-Doh. I found it repulsive and put the sample away for months. Years later, I do enjoy Ambre Sultan - especially the herbal elements present for a few hours, but I find that it slides into a too sweet and thick base that doesn't have enough counterpoint to keep it interesting. Sadly, that is my general impression of the line. Too thick and rich without enough of a counterpoint to either 'lift' those heavy notes or keep my interest for a full wearing.

My next sample was Chergui and I do indeed quite like it, but it gets just waaay too sweet, and ultimately too thin - for what starts as such a rich brew - on my skin. My g/f smelled it on me once after it dried down for a few hours and said it smelled like some cheap generic drugstore fragrance. Yikes! But she was right - it really did smell like that on me after a few hours.

I've tried Douce Amere, Daim Blond, Gris Clair, and Serge Noire, too. There's something I like about all of them but only Serge Noire caim anywhere close to love, and now I've found something that has my favorite parts of Serge Noire transplanted into a fragrance which I enjoy from head to toe - Amouage Memoir Man. Gris Clair is quite good, too, but I guess when I'm in the mood for something so lavender heavy I want it to smell more natural and uplifting, almost medicinal, and so Oxford & Cambridge beat it out as my lavender of choice.

I appreciate the quality of Lutens, and the general aesthetic, but his essential signature style just doesn't work for me. It always ends up too flat and monolithic on my skin.

Re: Lutens and Me

Despite it being my favorite fragrance line by a mile ( If someone said "Only one house" it's easily Serge Lutens ), me and Mr. Lutens' line got off on a bad footing.

The first three I tried I wasn't a big fan of at all. Ambre Sultan was intriguing but ruined by a weird Play-Do note. Santal Blanc was just bland sweetness personified. Cedre smelled like woody-floral bubblegum. By the time I smelled Five O'Clock Au Gingembre, I really wasn't getting what the fuss over Lutens was about.

Then, I smelled Iris Silver Mist. What was this alien stuff? Carrots, red-hots, dirt, leather, lipstick - it was like no other fragrance I'd sampled in my hunt through iris fragrances back then, and the more I wore it, the more I was fascinated. I still love it.

Then, I ordered a sample pack of five of the Paris Exclusives: Tubereuse Criminelle, Muscs Koublai Khan, La Myrrhe, Rose de Nuit, and another of ISM.

Tubreuse Criminelle, of course, is my all-time favorite fragrance. I've gone on about it endlessly, but suffice to say its a spicy, wintergreen-laced white floral that hits every right button.

La Myrrhe is a very Avante Garde fragrance, but there's really nothing else like it. The medicinal facets of myrrh are brought to the fore with an enormous wash of aldehydes, sleek and dry and more than a little alien.

Rose de Nuit is a rose chypre condensed into its darkest, most opaque aspects, thickly animalic and old fashioned in the best possible way.

Muscs Koublai Khan is actually a very sweet and charming fragrance. To my nose it's one of the least odd-smelling Lutens; just slightly sweaty over a powdery rose, patchouli, and musk.

These five are what turned me around on Lutens, but since then I've also fallen in love with Sarrasins and Fille En Aiguilles, and enjoyed Fleurs d'Oranger, Arabie, Chene, Sa Majeste La Rose, Mandarine Mandarin, Gris Clair, and Vetiver Oriental.

I've also changed my mind on two fragrances I dismissed before, Five O'Clock and Fourreau Noir.

Ironically, not only does Lutens produce many fragrances that bore me, they also produce some of my most hated fragrances. Bois et Fruits, Bois de Violette, and most of all, Miel de Bois, are in a top ten of my most hated fragrances - ever.

Re: Lutens and Me

Arabie was the first niche fragrance that I ever owned and it's the one that got me to Basenotes.
I've since owned and loved, Chergui, Daim Blonde, Gris Clair and Santal de Mysore. Right now I have MKK, Fille En Aiguilles, Chêne, Fleurs de Citronier in my wardrobe.
Great house, perhaps it's reached a bit of a plateau, but I still plan on adding La Myrrhe and Rose de Nuit to my collection.

Re: Lutens and Me

I too am a devotee of Serge Lutens. There is depth, darkness and creativity that, in his hands, become an expression of components to a canvas that are together greater than the sum of their parts. Serge Lutens is an artist of fragrance that creates works that others could not pull off in the commercial world. He creates classics in his own life time. One could love or hate his fragrances, but there is no denying his creative genius.

Re: Lutens and Me

I am disappointed when Sergu creates something that does not appeal to me. I want to like everything he creates. He is creative and unique, visionary and a pioneer. My mother first told me about his brand in 2005 and since then I have been a follower.
My latest include Ambre Sultan and Chene. I have my eye on Borneo 1834. It makes me like I am in a luxurious jungle.

Re: Lutens and Me

All: glad to see some loyal following in here. im sure there are more who admire this line.

SoS, David - it's definitely for someone who enjoys Lutens signature style of perfumery. i havent come across a lutens release which would make me say, "thats opulent". Lutens is more of a space shuttle for me taking me to unexplored places and their interpretations..

Sugandraja - Great reviews. and yes, you have been pushing Tubereuse Criminelle for a long time now. cant wait to sample it. Rose de Nuit too sounds very interesting. also glad to see you hate Bois de Viloette & Bois et Fruits. somehow it didnt go well wiht me too. maybe i dont like violettes so extreme.

Re: Lutens and Me

Thanks, i appreciated your impressions jenson.

Santal de Mysore: this one was/is my first bell jar form this line.. and what a pleasure to own this juice in a 75ml container! i would never go out of this juice! all the references to curry is so true. it's spice equivalent is the only other masterpiece in this genre and that Eau Lente by Diptyque. No comparison in terms of smell but the sheer intensity.. wow. Santal de Mysore take finest spices like dry cumin seed, star anise mixed with intense balsamic accords and pounded on it a crusher. it has one of the most realistic accords at that. the opening is very warm and powdery and make just give one that extra punch. but, let it settle and it reveals one of the finest accord of sandalwood. the only other sandalwood based fragrance which comes relatively close is Tam Dao...but even that pales in comparison. this is "the" go to sandalwood fragrance. However, i can imagine a few finding the heavy duty spicy face it puts across in opening accords.

I have extactly the same feeling about this fragrance.
For me it's the only one sandalwood fragrance who smell sandalwood ! (the second is Tam Dao). For me the mysore sandalwood has naturally a "curry" odor (i find it in tam dao too but less intense).
I smelled others who are regularly quoted here like MPG Santal noble and was disappointed...

Iris silver mist : it's like sandalwood for santal de mysore, the only frag who really smells iris rhyzom. I have a really good skin chemistry with this one so it stays relativly sweet and envelop me in a delicate and strong iris cloud.

La myrrhe: this absolutly need a compatible skin but it's the most original Lutens, none equivalent ! A scintillating myrrhe in the darkness of the night. If you are unlucky you will get an extremly acid aldehyd-like note... On a good skin it's a delight, starts with a fine bitter almond and acid note, this note gets drowsy and a let emerge a medicinal myrrh with a beautiful spice accord (nearly gourmand star aniss).

Rahat loukoum :use with precaution coz it's really sweet, but sometime i need a sweet recomforting scent. I love the heavy bitter almond top note who remains the cleopatra stick used in my childhood. Pure oriental gourmand but still raffined and never do "synthetic candy".

Sarrasins: dark animalic musky jasmin with tuberose (for the sensuality). At the same time attractive and worrying.

Encens et Lavande gives the impression to be in a forgotten church, walking on paving stone.

Re: Lutens and Me

Man, I love those house fragrances rundowns, I wish more people would do them. I think a very significant Lutens you didn't try is Douce Amere, it smells like a traditional Middle Eastern Dessert called "Qamar Deen", though some compared it to Baklawa, another middle eastern desert. It does have the syrpy/honey/dried fruit vibe to it.

Re: Lutens and Me

MKK - Great! Sometimes I get the 'ass/grotch/cumin'-stuff very clearly, sometimes it just smells lovely and realxed. What it evokes most of the time in me is the "bedsheets after good sex"-association. MKK never get's boring and in case it does at some point it will be still awesome for layering. Because it's a musk, it also has very good longevity.

Fumerie Turque - Great, along with MKK one of my favourite Lutens so far. Because it's not as sweet as Chergui it's more versatile.

Chergui - Nearly a masterpiece but IMO but the final stages acutally do smell a bit boring and kind of cheap. It's also a bit too sweet for me so that I don't wear it as often as I thought I would.

Chene - Fascinatingly dry and photorealistic. On it's own, it's not 100% my thing but it's a great effort by Lutens and it's nice to have for layering.

Five O'Clock Au Gingembre - Nice but I don't want to smell like tea time over at Granny's. Would make a nice room scent though.

Ambre Sultan - Way too thick! I don't like it at all, actually a scrubber for me.

Daim Blond - Another one I can't stand on me although I can see it's a piece of quality that's probably very nice on certain women.

Re: Lutens and Me

Great reviews here!
Well, if I had to name one signature scent for me (also the one house would be Serge Lutens, if really necessary to limit oneself ), it would be Chergui. It's been quite unsweet on me lately with a lot of tobacco wrapped in the rosy-fruity velvet... balmy and haunting at once.Ambre Sultan - overall, I agree with some here that I would prefer HdP's Ambre 114 over Ambre Sultan now. I liked it a lot initally, then felt it was a bit too much/medicinal for me. Funnily, I wore it in Lisbon this summer. It was damn hot and I was walking uphill. I wore Ambre Sultan and I really felt it was a perfect match... very masculine, 'sweaty' and raunchy. I really loved it that night. I don't reach often for it, but I feel I have learned how and when to wear it.Rose de Nuit, like Sarrasins, both in their field and category are the 'sexy' ones for me. Cuir Mauresque is the Lutens leather for me, but unwearable in summer. I nearly ruined this one for me by wearing it once this summer. I think this is a tricky and quite controversial one. I don't really like the top notes.Fourreau Noir is a Lutens-style gourmand fougere with the main thrill being the sweetness pulled back by the myrrh etc.La Myrrhe - this is unique, haunting, fascinating and everything that's been said above. My no. 2!Boxeuses - the sugar plums for Christmas - not really leathery on me, not rough. Need more time with it this winter.Borneo 1834 - very special, unsweet and surprisingly rather short-lived on me. My "sit-by-the-fire-outside-in-summer-and-enjoy-a-cigarillo" frag. I don't reach for this more than 2-3 times a year.Fille en Aiguilles, Cedre and Fumerie Turque are my Lutens I have grown tired of or rather sick (Fille en Aiguilles). These are my to-go Lutens in the long run.
The Bois series did not impress me at all, quite disgusting mostly.
MKK is weird, too sweet and an odd combination IMO, not very skanky either.
Iris Silver Mist - not my thing and style. I don't understand it, is honest to say.
What else? The Fleurs are not my thing either, preferring the Citronnier though. I don't like the Vetiver and hate e.g. Chypre Rouge, Arabie... BUT I haven't sampled Tubereuse Criminelle.

Re: Lutens and Me

Color me not surprised. Jenson explores the Land of Lutens and discovers some exotic scents. Serge Lutens is my favorite line. Many of the Lutens required months for me to wrap my nose around and appreciate them but it was time well spent. I have owned and worn a most of the Serge Lutens line. Those I still own include the following:

Ambre Sultan was my first Lutens and is still my favorite amber.

Borneo 1834 has been my signature scent for two years. Dark, sensual, earthy patchouli.

Chêne is a fall favorite. Reminds me of an oak barrel that once stored a mild fruit cider.

Douce Amère is one I sold but bought back because I missed owning a solid licorice/anise/absinthe scent.

Iris Silver Mist is my reference iris fragrance. Best. Iris. Ever.

Santal de Mysore was my number one until Borneo took the top spot. Truly amazing blend of sandalwood and spices.

Serge Noire is one that took months for my senses to grasp. I still find the opening somemwhat jarring but the drydown is worth the wait.

Other Serge Lutens scents of note:

Rose de Nuit is built on a classic chypre template (Cabochard, Aramis, etc.) with a rich rose as the focal point.

Sarrasins is the only one I intend to buy in the near future. Deadsexy jasmine, suede, and musk. Smells like seduction.

Re: Lutens and Me

Originally Posted by jenson

All: glad to see some loyal following in here. im sure there are more who admire this line. Kevin: have you sampled Rose de Nuit?

I tried it a few years ago at the Palais Royal lair.
I've struggled with Rose soliflore fragrances for years, stubbornly thinking that was the best
way to wear rose. But those soliflores always bored me after a few wearings. Then I got wise to rose chypres, I think it was Ungaro's Diva that opened my eyes.
It took me awhile to understand the perfection of the floral chypre genre. I love the way Rose de Nuit marries its rose to galbanum and moss.
I am so looking forward to owning this one.

Re: Lutens and Me

Thanks for posting about SL jenson - I think many of you all know how much I adore this house.

As I've said before, out of all of the fragrance categories that there are, the orientals speak to me the most. Of course, living in warm South Florida can be tricky wearing heavy orientals, so my adoration and appreciation sometimes has to be simply from an observational point-of-view rather than buying a full bottle and wearing it as my Scent of The Day.

Nonetheless, it's my favorite house after Guerlain. There are a handful that I cannot wear (Santal de Mysore, Santal Blanc, Rousse, Datura Noir & Feminite du Bois) - most of them that I have tested I love and either have at one time or another owned samples or decants of.

Ambre Sultan made me cry, the first time I smelled it. No lie. It's such a beautiful scent and it really speaks to me on a deep level. I have spent a year or so, without a full bottle - I will be replacing it in my wardrobe some time in the future.

Borneo 1834 and Serge Noire both hold special places in my heart - they make me think of certain special places and times in my personal life. Wearing them is sort of like flipping through a scrapbook (in my mind's eye) and it can be extremely comforting. Up to now, there has not been another patchouli fragrance that I like better than B1834.

Arabie sort of grossed me out the first time I smelled it. I had never smelled a fragrance with such a prominent overdose of Middle-Eastern spices - the first olfactory association I had was the smell of cooking chicken on the stove. It took me almost a year to appreciate it's intricate complex sweetness. Now, I happily wear it in hot weather and enjoy the way it smells on my hot sweaty body. Nonetheless, my small samples have lasted me for years - I can't imagine ever needing to own a full bottle.

Iris Silver Mist was, and still is, my iris reference scent. I am currently getting into No. 19 by Chanel and my new bottle of Dior Homme Cologne - but both of these scents would have repelled me before I was dumbstruck by ISM. Any Basenoter who has even the mildest interest in iris scents and has not smelled ISM really needs to get a sample ASAP.

Sa Majeste la Rose. Well, I must admit this was my first full bottle of a rose prominent scent. Just one BIG rose scent. No excuses. I miss my bottle that I went thru a couple years ago.

Gris Clair smelled like hot iron steam water the first time I smelled it - I kept thinking 'Who the hell can wear this!?' and then a couple wearings later it was pure love. It is one of my favorite lavenders and perhaps the only SL scent I own, that I can wear comfortably all year long. I cherish it, at night, when I come home from an evening workout at my gym.

A La Nuit. There is not a better jasmine scent I have tried. Not even Sarassins. I have stopped looking for something better than ALN and just accepted that it is jasmine perfection.

Chergui is one I love and yet, I don't know if I could go thru a full bottle. I love it's hay sweet carmelized sticky tobacco but then sometimes, if I spray the tiniest bit too much it sort of nauseates me. Nonetheless there is nothing that smells like this strange fascinating creature. It is, perhaps, exactly what I think about when I speak about niche scents.

There are many in the line, I just haven't had enough time to get to know. The 2 Bois' (Violette and Et Fruits) I need to sample more. Cuir Mauresque and Fumerie Turque, Une Bois Vanille I've only tested once. Same for Douce Amere, Daim Blond, Five O Clock Gingembre, and many others.

The ones that I want to buy full bottle of are: Forreau Noir, Vetiver Oriental, Fille en Aiguilles and Chene. And I am dying to try: L 'Eau de Serge Lutens, Boxeuses, Bas de Soie and a whole bunch of the Paris exclusives I can't even remember.

Ambre Sultan is a great fragrance, but heavy, and becomes tiresome soon enough.

I haven't smelled El Attarine, but it's supposed to be good.

_____________

-- A few of them are exceptional, several are well made and satisfying, a few are relatively average but still decent, and a small handful are poorly made, thoroughly tedious and entirely unnecessary. Lutens has definitely surpassed the average niche collection (which usually just makes a nice looking menu with interesting accords, but rarely creates anything as truly remarkable as the great masters who often worked on a single fragrance for anywhere from 5 to 10 years). Lutens and Sheldrake have done it a few times in La Myrrhe, Sarrasins, and Bois de Violette, and they were close enough with Rose de Nuit, Tubereuse Criminelle, and Feminite du Bois (Pierre Bourdon). Not to mention that Fumerie Turque is one of the deepest, richest orientals I've ever smelled, has a darkness reminiscent of the great Carons of the past, and its relative dryness makes it much easier to wear than something like Chergui. CuirMauresque is a great smelling, extremely satisfying and easy to wear leather, with one of the best performing incense notes I've ever known.

Overall this house has done far more for the art of perfumery in its first eighteen years than someone like Creed has ever done, no matter how much they claim to be the purveyors of perfume to various royal and imperial houses of Europe.

Re: Lutens and Me

I haven’t tried any of the Paris exclusives but I’ve pretty well worked my way thru the export line. Of those I own:

Chergui

This one always make me smile – it's effortlessly laid back, optimistic and utterly unique. I have read about the hay note employed in this one and how it is a primal sort of ‘feel good’ scent. It really does push those buttons for me – takes me back to a beautiful late summer afternoon in NZ helping some friends in Kerikeri hay-making. I own both colours – both fine by me.

Daim Blond

The first Lutens I bought and not part of the heavier oriental canon. It’s popular with women ‘for a night out’ here according to the most knowledgeable of the Shiseido SAs I have spoken to, but like a lot of leather (or in this case suede) scents I find it comfortably genderless and a great autumn evening pick me up - not too heavy but with an uplifting vibe and some character. The osmanthus always seems to put a spring my step.

Gris Clair

If there was an award for “scent that should be enjoyed at arms length” I think Gris Clair would be a prime contender. At a safe distance it is a bright, sparkling, truly uplifting lavender that is perfect in any situation. I first wore this in Singapore (30c+ with 90%+ humidity) and it was the perfect antidote to tropical lethargy. Then I made the mistake of leaning in to sniff it on my wrist – it was like banging my head on a slab of glazed rock, the stuff they use in those walls that appear to be permanently wet – you know the look? A classic IMO - a ruthlessly un-sentimental take on lavender.

Arabie

It’s a cliché, I know, but Arabie has become a Christmas tradition for me – the weather is cool enough to wear it and it just seems to work perfectly. Love it.

MKK

Someone here described this as ‘strangely comforting’ – I agree.

L’Eau Serge Lutens

Yup – I’m one of the three people who own it. I think it’s fantastic in summer if you have one of those clean white shirt going to a meeting with people who wear suits want to feel awake and at least appear interested kind of days.

I also own Un Bois Vanille, Fumerie Turque & Ambre Sultan – all good at what they do. I bought A la Nuit & Feminite du Bois for a lady friend who carries them off beautifully.

Bottles in my future – Filles en Aiguille (I like the dry, dark pine forest vibe) & Serge Noire (I spent a year going from 'you must be joking' to actually appreciating what is happening here - worth persevering when challenged and thank you Diamondflame for relentlessly championing this one!)

I agree with pluran's comments above - to me this is a house that kicked off with an original vision and in amongst the hits and misses there are some modern classics and when it all comes down to it we are all the better off for having the option to try them.

Re: Lutens and Me

fab to see so many chime in! love all those reviews.. im all the more curious about Sarassins, A la Nuit, rose de nuit, Cuir M, Tubereuse Criminelle, Fumerie T et al !

btw, i have sampled L’Eau Serge Lutens and mr. reasonable, i agree, it's a daily wear kinds from Lutens. perfect to wear in office or any casual use. i would love to get my hands on this one. and...im glad it's in a 100ml bottle.. this one needs a bit of dousing for it to last..

Re: Lutens and Me

The FBW ones for me so far are Gris Clair..., Fumerie Turque, MKK, and Ambre Sultan. There are several others I like, but I don't think I would never go through a FB of them. I haven't yet had the opportunity to try Tuberose Criminalle, but would really like to at some point. In general, the gourmand sweetness of so many fragrances from this house doesn't really suit me. I find Arabie, for instance, is almost nauseating.